AROUND THE WORLD.

Heat kills 2 at packed papal mass

OSIJEK, CROATIA — Pope John Paul II sought to heal the wounds of recent war and overcome ancient religious divisions Saturday in a mass for 200,000 people who packed an airfield under a punishing sun.

Two people died of heat-related heart attacks during the ceremony in Osijek. At least 500 others sought medical treatment, including 150 who were hospitalized because of the 100-degree temperatures.

The frail, 83-year-old pope--swathed in heavy robes but protected from the sun by a white canopy--slumped in his chair at times but got through the ceremony. After finishing his homily, he briefly buried his head in his hands.

Later, he was wheeled over a red carpet into the cathedral in nearby Djakovo, where he looked tired but alert as he sprayed incense and said prayers.

Pope John Paul II, making the 100th foreign tour of his papacy, brought a message of reconciliation to a corner of Croatia still embittered by the war for independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. He also reached out to leaders of the Orthodox church.